Process of reducing locked in stresses in transversely welded ships caused by sun heat



G. W. MEIER PROCESS OF REDUCING LOCKED IN STRESSES IN TRANSVERSELY WELDED SHIPS CAUSED BY SUN HEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet -l Filed NO V. 25, 194A 5 j? A; @if gfx. @ma y www y w12 b. W .w

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PROCESS 0F REDUCING LOCKED IN STRESSES IN TRNSVERSELY WELDED SHIPS CAUSED BY SUN HEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25A, 1944 INVETOR.

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Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES Tsar ortie PROCESS F REDUCING LCKED IN STRESSES IN TRANSVERSELY WELDED SHIPS CAUSED BY SUN HEAT Gustav W. Meier, West Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shipbuilding, speciiically to a new and improved process of making al1-welded ship hulls.

The main object of the present invention is to attain a considerable reduction in the cost of making ship hulls.

' Another object of the present invention is the provision of a process by means of Which the quality of all welded ship hulls will be improved considerably, mainly by eliminating the occurrence of locked up stresses.

Still another object of the present invention, is to reduce the time for erection of a ship to a minimum;

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a process which can be more easily and more advantageously applied to quality mass production of all types of special ships, than the ones now in use;

Still a further object of the present invention, is to attain a reduction in contraction and an increase in strength of the welding seams used in the making of ship hulls;

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection With the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a transverse bulkhead;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a transverse webframe;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a complete transverse Webframe section, which will be explained in detail hereinafter;

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line 1 -t of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is atop plan view of a pair of transverse shellplate sections;

Figure 6 is a front elevation oi the shellplate sections of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the shellplate sections of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of another shellplate section;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a ship hull made according to the improved process, partially broken away;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view on the line IIJ-ID of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a cross sectional view of a welded connection of parts of a ship hull partially broken away and shown in an enlarged scale;

Figure 12 is a front elevation of the details of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a rear elevation of the details of Figure l1;

Figure 14 is a diagrammatical plan view of a ship hull; and

Figure 15 is a side elevation of a ship hull made according to the present invention.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

According to my new and improved process, the transverse bulkheads I and the transverse webframes 2 which are to be used for a vessel are manufactured in the workshop, and thelongitudinal connection pieces 3, 4 and 5 as Well as the longitudinal bulkhead sections 5, which are designed to connect each transverse webframe 2 and each transverse bulkhead l to the next adjoining webframe 2, are welded to one side of each webframe 2 and each bulkhead I. In this way, separate transverse bulkhead sections as shown in Figure l and separate transverse webframel sections as shown in Figure 2 are constructed. Then a pair of transverse shellplating sections l, 8, 9, It, II, l2 is prepared for each transverse weoframe 2 and for each transverse bulkhead I. Each transverse shellplating vsection 'I, 8, etc., is made to cover one outer side portion and one half bottom portion of one of the transverse webframes 2 or of one transverse bulkhead i, but to leave suflicient space free for inserting the keel I4 at the bottom. A pair of the shellplating sections l, 8, il, etc., is then welded around each Webframe 2 and around each transverse bulkhead IV and is also laterally welded to the longitudinal connection pieces or scantlings 3, in such a manner that complete, separate transverse hull sections are obtained, one of which is shown in Figure 3L The various transverse hull sections are constructed as previously referred to in the shop. Thus, these sections can be manufactured in the most economical manner by employing mass production methods. They can be made more accurately in the shop than in the iield. They are then (as separate complete units) brought to the shipway, where the keel Ill has been prepared y in the usual manner, and are placed upon the keel Hi and are joined to each other end to end and connected to the keel i4 by welding. Plates I5 are Welded as corner Connectors to the longitudinal connection pieces 3 and to the webframes 2 and transverse bulkheads I respectively.

The various shellplating sections l are joined to each other preferably by three transverse Welding seams IB, Il and I9 (Figures 12 and 13). In making these transverse welding seams, particularly the seams l1, I prefer to employ four or more Welders at the same time, two of whom start about at the points 20 and 2| (Fig. 10) welding from the keel I4 as indicated by the arrows 23, whereas two other welders start welding from the points 26 and 21 (Fig. 10) toward the main deck as indicated by the arrows 28. During the blaze of the sun bottom seams should be welded at day time and the seams of the sides of the hull at night time. In this way a uniform expansion and contraction all around the ship hull will be attained during the welding process, and stresses, the so called locked-up stresses, of the hull will be reduced to a minimum.

It is known that besides stresses caused by the heat of the welding torch, the heat of the sun also produces objectionable stresses. For instance, if a hull is not located in a generally east-west direction with the stern to the east but in a southnorth direction, the sun shines upon one broad side of the ship in the morning and upon the other Lbroad side during the afternoon; since the sun heat is never so intense in the morning as it is -in the afternoon, a greater expansion of the material occurs on the side exposed to the afternoon than yon the side of the ship exposed to the morning sun. This difference in expansion resulting from the diierence in sun heat causes rmany diiculties in lining up shafts for boring, etc. Thesediiculties will be minimized considc rably` by locating the hull in a generally eastrwest direction. v @I prefer, therefore, to place the keel I4 substantially in an east-west direction, so that the influence of the sun will cause the minimum of additional stresses while the ship is under construction. This particular locating of the keel I4 and of the hull as the assembling of the transverse hull'sections progresses is indicated in Figs. 14 and 15. The dotted line 25 in Fig. 15 indicates the sun path.

`Having thus described my invention, what I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent in theUnited States is:

1. The process of making ship hulls consisting in attaching to each transverse webframe and to each transverse bulkhead longitudinal connection pieces which are designed to connect each transverse webframe and each transverse bulkhead tothe neXt adjoining transverse webframe; attaching to the outer side of each transverse webframe and of each transverse bulkhead two transverse shellplating sections each of which is adapted to cover one outer side portion and one half of a bottom portion of one of said transverse webframes and of one of said transverse bulkheads but to leave in the center of the bottom portion of said webframes and of said bulkheads suicient space free for inserting the keel; connecting said longitudinal connection pieces to said shellplating sections so as to obtain separate transverse hull sections, each of which consists of a transverse webframe or of a transverse bulkhead respectively, of a series of longitudinal connection pieces extending laterally from one side of each transverse webframe and from one side of each transverse bulkhead, and of a pair of shellplating sections; and joining said transverse hull sections to each other end to end and connecting them to the keel; al1 substantially as set forth.

2. The process of making ship hulls consisting in welding to each transverse webframe and to each transverse bulkhead longitudinal connection pieces which are designed to connect each transverse webframe and each transverse bulkhead to the next adjoining transverse webframe; welding upon each transverse webframe and upon each transverse bulkhead two transverse shellplating sections each of which is made to cover one outer side portion and one half of a bottom portion of one of said transverse webframes and of one of said transverse bulkheads but to leave in the center of the bottom portion of said webframes and of said bulkheads suflicient space free for inserting the keel, so as to obtain separate transverse hull sections, each of which consists of a transverse webframe or of a transverse bulkhead respectively, of a series of longitudinal connection pieces extending laterally from one side of each transverse webframe and from one side of each transverse bulkhead, and of a pair of shellplating sections, and welding said transverse hull sections to each other end to end and to the keel, all substantially as described.

3. The process of making ship hulls consisting in constructing separate transverse hull sections, each of which consists of a transverse webframe or of a transverse bulkhead respectively, of a series of longitudinal connection pieces extending laterally from one side of each transverse webframe and from one side of each transverse bulkhead, and of a pair of shellplating sections welded to both outer sides and to the bottom of each webframe and of each bulkhead respectively as well as to said longitudinal connecting pieces but leaving in the center of the bottom sufficient space for inserting the keel; placing the keel in a substantially east-west direction so that the stern points toward the east; placing said transverse hull sections upon the keel; joining them to each other end to end by means of transversely welding; and connecting them to the keel, all substantially as described.

GUSTAV W. MEIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Datey 1,492,981 Hill May 6, 1924 1,900,711 Howard Mar. 7, 1933 2,104,053 Odenbach et al. Jan. 4, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,280 Great Britain 1907 24.841 Great Britain 1895 115,144 Great Britain May 2, 1918 

